Critical Analysis

1. Based on the data from the chart above, what percent of Americans are members of a church, synagogue, or mosque?

2. Based on the data from the chart above, identify one trend in American church membership since 1940.

3. What is your best explanation for that trend?

4. In what way has that trend had the biggest impact on American politics?

5. A student named Wolfgang looked at this data and said to his class that “America is no longer a Christian nation.” Explain whether you agree with Wolfgang.

6. Describe the impact religion had on the 2020 election.

7. How do demographics impact church membership?*

8. What state do you think is the least religious?*

9. Make a claim explaining how a state’s religiosity relates to its political affiliation.*

10. Around the time of the Revolutionary War only 17 percent of the total American population belonged to a church congregation. How surprising is that information?

Learning Extension

Read the Pew Report on America’s Changing Religious Landscape

Action Extension

Share any of the data on American religion on social media and describe the reaction in class or online.

Visual Extension*